As part of its efforts to increase youth awareness about mangrove rehabilitation, the Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) held the 2024 Youth Mangrove Action in East Kalimantan. Taking place from Oct. 25 to 28, the event involved a total of 15 participants aged 15 to 25 years old, composed of dedicated local mangrove volunteers from SMA 8 Balikpapan state senior high school, as well as from the Greater Jakarta area.

Under the theme of “Protect Mangroves, Preserve the Earth", Youth Mangrove Action aims to increase knowledge, awareness and active participation of young people directly involved in the restoration of the mangrove ecosystem, as well as to discuss innovations in mangrove rehabilitation. The activity marks the second time the BRGM has involved the younger generation in the restoration of wet, peat and mangrove ecosystems.

Didy Wurjanto, head of the Cooperation, Law, and Public Relations Working Group said the Youth Mangrove Action aims to provide space for the younger generation to be directly involved in mangrove rehabilitation activities.

“The hope is that the participants who take part in this activity can share their knowledge and apply it in each region or community that they join," he said.

Volunteers participated in a series of interesting activities including visiting SMA 8 Balikpapan as an example of the implementation of mangrove ecosystem conservation at the school level, exploring the future capital of Nusantara, which prioritizes the Forest City concept, exploring the mangrove forest in Mentawir village, as well as various interactive games.

The participants also met and interacted with local environmental activists in East Kalimantan. Agus Bei, the recipient of the 2017 Kalpataru Award, shared his knowledge related to the mangrove ecosystem and how to preserve it, noting that the preservation process cannot be done in a short time, taking decades to restore its function.

“I appreciate the involvement of the BRGM together with the Youth Mangrove Action volunteers in studying the mangrove ecosystem and its benefits in coastal areas. Hopefully, the participants can disseminate the potential of mangroves to the wider community," he said.

Agus Bei presents material related to mangrove ecosystems and their management

Agus, who has been rehabilitating mangroves since 2001, was moved to restore the mangrove ecosystem when tidal water entered his local residential area. The loss of mangrove forests also caused strong winds from the sea to hit the settlement directly and damage approximately 300 homes.

Through independent action, Agus and the local community began planting and caring for mangroves.

In 2010, Agus and the local community reaped the results of their hard work when the local government inaugurated the mangrove forest as a tourist attraction. Dubbed the Graha Indah Mangrove Center, the well-maintained mangrove forest also serves as a source of income for the community.

In addition to mangrove rehabilitation, the volunteers also received citizen journalism training, which aimed to enable participants to manage information well through websites, blogs and social media.

After attending the training, participants explored the Mentawir Mangrove Tourism Village accompanied by Lamale, head of the Tiram Tambun Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis).

In addition to overseeing the Mangrove Tourism Village, Lamale and his group members process mangrove products in the form of dodol, mangrove tea, mangrove coffee and mangrove syrup. Participants were also invited to be involved in processing mangrove syrup.

Lamale appreciated the enthusiasm of the participants, expressing his hopes that participants can disseminate information to the wider community regarding communal efforts in mangrove rehabilitation.

"I am amazed by the enthusiasm of the Youth Mangrove Action participants. Currently, we really need help from young people to care more about mangroves and help us introduce our mangrove products more widely," said Lamale.

Subhannudin, one of the Youth Mangrove Action participants, said that through the volunteer activities, he was able to gain new knowledge and experience by directly seeing the mangrove ecosystem and interacting with environmental activists.

"This Youth Mangrove Action is not just an ordinary volunteer activity; we were invited to get to know more about mangrove rehabilitation activities and interact with mangrove activists. This is a valuable experience for me, and I will share my experience through citizen journalism media platforms and social media that I have. Hopefully, the BRGM can hold this activity every year so young people can get to know the mangrove ecosystem better," he concluded.